ILOILO City – A 71-year-old farmer was shot to death by motorcycle-riding gunmen late Monday night in Barangay Cabangaan, Badiangan, Iloilo less than 42 hours before the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) launches a campaign that aims to curb this kind of crimes.
Anastacio Nobleza died of gunshot wounds on the chest.
The shooting happened at around 11:30 p.m., according to Chief Inspector Dennis Pamunag, Badiangan police chief.
Nobleza was on his way to the house of the barangay captain of Cabangaan when attacked. He was with his brother Cirilo but the latter managed to run away.
From what the Badiangan police so far gathered, the gunmen initially fired shots at Nobleza’s son Jimmy, 39, at his house but failed to hit their target, so they left.
“The gunmen may have decided to attack the father because they failed to take down his son,” Pamunag.
The police chief said his men already have persons of interest in this case and the motive could be long-standing grudges.
Jimmy was previously convicted by a court for frustrated homicide and malicious mischief and sentenced to four years in prison. But he managed to secure a parole, said Pamunag.
Today, the PRO-6 is launching the “Campaign Plan: Clean Rider.” This entails the registration of motorcycles at police stations.
Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, Western Visayas police director, said motorists will have to fill up a registration form with a 2×2 picture and submit for recording the make, engine number, chassis number, plate number, year model, and the complete owner’s name, occupation, certificate of registration, official receipt, and driver’s license.
After these data have been submitted, the police would issue a “Clean Rider” sticker to the motorcycle. The sticker would contain a serial number.
A matching sticker would be attached to the driver’s license of the owner for easy identification.
With the “Clean Rider” sticker, it is understood that a motorcycle and its owner have undergone the process and are considered legitimate.
“Once may sticker na ang isang motor, meaning mayroon na tayong hinahawakan na data about the motorcycle owner. So kung may (riding-in-tandem) krimen, madali natin ma-trace (the motorcycle),” said Bulalacao.
However, he clarified, having the “Clean Rider” sticker does not preclude authorities from flagging motorists at checkpoints because of the possibility the rider may not be the real owner of the motorcycle or it has been hijacked./PN
